feeding

Essential advice for keeping your baby healthy and well-fed from breastfeeding to bottle. Beyond feeding, creating a comfortable environment for baby and you is great for bonding with your little one. It can help feeding become a more relaxed experience for both too!

Breastfeeding

Most experts recommend that it is best to breastfeed your baby for at least 6 months as breast milk offers the healthiest, most nutritious and natural food source for your developing baby.

It also offers many additional benefits to you, such as helping you bond with your new arrival.

What do I need to breastfeed?

The only essentials needed for breastfeeding are mother and baby. However, there are some optional extras that may make feeding time more comfortable.

Nursing chair – A nursing chair and footstool offers support and comfort as you nurse your baby. Many also have a glide function, so you can gently rock back and forth for an extra soothing experience.

Nursing pillow – A nursing pillow lets you maintain your position and stay comfortable throughout a feed. Many are multi-purpose and can be used during pregnancy to support your bump while you sleep.

Breast pump – Some mothers choose to express milk using a breast pump so that they have a supply of their own milk bottled, should they want to return to work or stop breastfeeding from the nipple for a period of time. Many breast pumps let you control the level of vacuuming and are designed to be comfortable and efficient. If you decide to use bottles in this way, be sure to sterilise fully for clean and safe feeding.

Types of baby bottles

Whilst most bottles are plastic, glass ones are also available which are easier to clean but need extra care taken to make sure they are not dropped. If your baby suffers from colic, there are also anti-colic bottles available that have ventilation systems in them to stop your baby swallowing excess air.

Bottle starter sets

If you have chosen to bottle feed your baby, a starter set gives you everything you need to do this safely. Many include bottles, teats and formula dispensers while others also include electric sterilisers and bottle warmers.

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Top tips for feeding

Nursing is an individual experience for every mother and baby, so what works for one mother may differ for other women. Even so, there are some helpful tips that may help improve comfort and stimulate milk flow:

Place your baby close to you – Keep their nose in line with your nipple as this will encourage your baby to open their mouth wide. Try gently stroking their top lip to encourage them to open their mouth.

Make sure baby's head is in line with their body – When breastfeeding this is the best position for easy and safe swallowing.

Relax – Make sure you are comfortable, with your shoulders and arms in a relaxed position. Breastfeeding is a skill that you and your baby will learn together and keeping calm will help the process. If you have any queries or concerns, your health visitor or midwife will be able to offer help and advice.

Safe bottle feeding tips:

Sterilise – Make sure your bottles and teats are fully sterilised after each use. This can be done using cold water sterilising solution or with boiling water. For a thorough and hassle-free method, we recommend an electric steriliser.

Keep the teat full – As you bottle feed make sure the bottle is positioned so that the teat stays full of milk to keep your baby from taking in air.

Keep baby upright – Positioning your baby so that they are fairly upright with their head supported so that they can breathe and swallow comfortably.

Not too hot – Expressed breast milk and fresh instant formula can be given to baby at room temperature, however many choose to warm the milk before a feed. When warming breast milk or formula milk, the safest and easiest way is to use an electric bottle warmer. It is not recommended to heat bottles in a microwave as this method can heat unevenly and create pockets of scalding milk. When you are ready to feed, the milk should be at body temperature and not feel hot. Simply test this by placing a small amount on the inside of your wrist.

playtime

A key part of your baby's growth and development is centred on interactive play with stimulating toys. From birth your baby's senses are developing, so bright colours, interesting textures and noises are all important factors when picking out toys. Above all, the most important consideration is safety.

play mats & play gyms

From birth your baby can spend time on a play mat to help them strengthen their muscles and stimulate the development of their senses. These padded mats are often brightly coloured and are a safe and comfortable place for playtime with baby.

A play gym often has two arches above the mat that have colourful and textured toys attached across the top. They can also have music, lights and baby-safe mirrors to let babies explore their senses safely.

tummy time

Many authorities recommend that your baby has sessions of supervised playtime on their tummy. This helps strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles. Aim for a couple of 3-5 minute sessions a day supervising your newborn on their tummy and increase this time as your baby gets bigger and stronger.

GET THEM MOVING

From around 6 months old your baby will get much sturdier and will be able to support their own head. For this developing age, there are many interactive and stimulating toys that are designed to help strengthen your baby's muscles and encourage them to start moving.

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top toy safety tips

Take note of the recommended age of the toy before you give it to your baby. You can find this information on the packaging or by referring to the manufacturer's instructions that come with the toy. This will make sure the toy you choose is safe and will interest your baby at this age.

Make sure your baby can't get hold of any toys with small parts that could be swallowed. This can be difficult when you have older children with toys, so try keeping babies playing space away from where other toys are kept.

Although toys for babies are designed to withstand the rough and tumble of baby play, it is a good idea to regularly check toys to make sure they have not been damaged. Sharp edges or loose parts may hurt your baby so if you spot any broken toys, they should be thrown away.

If your baby is teething, there are many teether toys specially designed for your baby to put in their mouth to soothe sore gums.

BABYPROOFING

As soon as children can crawl and walk, they're going to be exploring your home. You'll need to baby-proof it from top to bottom to ensure complete child safety and to avoid any unexpected accidents.

The Kitchen

Get child safety locks for all your cupboards, and, to be double sure, place anything harmful like cleaning liquids in a high cupboard just in case. Don't let anything hang over the edge of your counters, like a pan handle or power cable – these will be much too tempting for young hands.

It's hard to keep an eye on a child if you're cooking, so use a baby safety gate for kids to keep them out while you prepare food if you can. Use safety knob covers on your cooker to stop them turning things on and use a baby fire guard to prevent them from touching the door during and after use.

The Bathroom

Non-slip mats are essential to stop baby slipping both in and out of the tub. Make sure you store any bathroom bottles in a high place away from curious hands and remove anything that they might try to climb up, like a clothes airer or laundry basket. And don't forget a lock for the toilet – it's the last place you want them exploring.

The Living room

Falls and slips are inevitable, so use corner cushions on furniture like coffee tables to make sure there's no serious injuries if they fall against them. And if you have a fire place, get a child safety fire guard to keep them well away.

You should also use safety straps to secure furniture to the wall that could tip, like bookcases, display cabinets and flatscreen TVs. Make sure you hide any cables too.

Everywhere else

You should block electric sockets to prevent curious fingers and get a baby safety gate to stop them climbing the stairs when you're not looking. Window restrictors are important so there's no risk of them falling outside or getting fingers caught. Doors are also a place where it's easy for them to trap fingers, so use an edge guard to block the area around the hinges.

Never leave baby and pets together unsupervised. Use baby gates to keep them separated at other times and to keep pet toys, beds, food and litter trays out of reach. You should also keep a cat flap locked whenever possible.

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BATHTIME

Bath time with baby can be a special time for you to bond with your little one. You don't need to bathe your baby every day, a simple wipe with a soft flannel is fine, but if your baby enjoys it there is no reason not to have some splash time regularly.

Baby baths

A baby bath is not essential if you already have a full-sized tub in your bathroom. However, to avoid having to stoop over the edge of the bath to wash your little one, many parents choose to use a baby bath for the first few months.

These smaller baths are lightweight and moveable, so you can wash your baby in the nursery as well as the bathroom.

Baby bath chairs

Bath chairs or seats can be used to provide extra support to your baby if you choose to bathe them in a full size bath. They secure to the bottom of your bath tub with non-slip suction pads and can easily be removed to tidy away when not in use.

While many are suitable for use from birth, some are suitable only from 6 months, or when your baby can sit upright unassisted – just check the manufacturer's description to make sure.

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Top tips for bathtime

Stay with your baby for the whole time they are in the water – never leave them alone in the bathroom.

Make sure the water is warm but not too hot – between 36Â°C and 38Â°C is ideal. A bath thermometer will let you know when your water is at the perfect temperature for your little one.

Plain water is best for your baby's skin in the first few months. As they grow look out for liquid soap or shampoo that is specially formulated for sensitive baby skin.

Make sure you have everything ready for when your baby is out of the bath. Towel, fresh nappy, wipes, clean clothes and baby cream should all be at hand so baby can get warm quickly once out of the bath.

If your baby seems frightened of the water try getting in the bath together. This can help relax your baby – but you may need someone else to help you do this safely.